Flipkart has a rigorous process for citizenship. Those who wish to live in the country go through a strict screening process and are required to bring lots of documentation. The country imposes regulations like forcing customers to shop on their phones and is valued at over US$15 billion.

Snapdeal’s borders are more open. It focuses on allowing as many people in as possible and believes in strengthening its economy with numbers. Snapdeal has three times as many sellers as Flipkart but is only valued at US$4.8 billion.

Flipkart provides more of a uniform experience while Snapdeal promises diversity. The latter even goes so far as to provide home loan applications on its website.

They’ve both acquired a series of startups that help them achieve their individual goals and expose what they really find important – Snapdeal hasGoJavas, a last-mile logistics startup that assists with seamless pickup and delivery, while Flipkart has bought Myntra, a large fashion ecommerce site with an impressive inventory.

Who will get over India’s major challenges – logistics, payment, and internet access – and capture the latest and largest batch of online shoppers? Is the ecommerce game winner-takes-all or can many players exist to serve the diverse needs of India’s 1.2 billion potential customers? What do you think?

Snapdeal

Snapdeal is an online marketplace offering best priced deals on branded products such as mobiles, electronics, apparel and accessories.